Boxing & Fighting: Fiction

Black Ajax, by George MacDonald Fraser (1997)

A freed slave from New Orleans becomes a boxing legend in Regency England, thanks in part to the enthusiasm of Captain Buckley "Mad Buck" Flashman.

Boxing's Best Short Stories, edited by Paul D. Staudohar (1999)

A collection of twenty-two short stories evoking the slap of boxing gloves on sweaty flesh and the fierce shouts from ringside includes the work of Ring Lardner, Nelson Algren, Jack London, Paul Gallico, Ellery Queen, and John O'Hara.

The Brave, by Robert Lipsyte (1991)

After leaving the Indian reservation for New York, Sonny Bear learns to control his rage in order to train for the boxing ring with Alfred Brooks, an ex-boxer who is now a policeman.

The Contender, by Robert Lipsyte (1967)

Caught in the pressures of Harlem life amidst narcotics addiction, police, and street fights, Alfred Brooks, a seventeen-year-old high school drop-out, turns to boxing.

The Distance, by Eddie Muller (2002)

In 1949, San Francisco sportswriter and boxing devotee Billy Nichols becomes caught in a dangerous web of deceit, betrayal, and desire when he comes to the aid of heavyweight boxer Hack Escalante, who has killed his manager.

Every Time I Talk to Liston, by Brian DeVido (2004)

An aging boxer confronting the end of his career, Amos "Scrap Iron" Fletcher returns to his hometown of Trenton to reassess his life and encounters TNT, a young boxer down on his luck, at his uncle's boxing gym and, inspired by the life and spirit of boxing idol Sonny Liston, agrees to take the neglected young fighter under his wing.

Fight Club, by Chuck Palahniuk (1996)

In a confusing world poised on the brink of mayhem, Tyler Durden, a projectionist, waiter, and anarchic genius, comes up with an idea to create clubs in which young men can escape their humdrum existence and prove themselves in barehanded fights.

Murder on the Ropes, edited by Otto Penzler (2001)

This is a collection of fourteen boxing mysteries from renowned authors such as Lawrence Block, Joyce Carol Oates, Doug Allyn, and Mike Lupica.

My Father's Fighter, by Ronald K. Fried (2004)

Vincent Rosen, a mild-mannered high school English teacher in New York City, is thrust into the brutal arena of boxing when his father, Solly, a prizefight manager, dies and bequeaths him the family business.

The Power of One, by Bryce Courtenay (1989)

In 1939, hatred took root in South Africa, where the seeds of apartheid were newly sown. There a boy called Peekay was born. He spoke the wrong language–English. He was nursed by a woman of the wrong color–black. His childhood was marked by humiliation and abandonment. Yet he vowed to survive–he would become welterweight champion of the world, he would dream heroic dreams.

Pound for Pound, by F.X. Toole (2006)

The separate lives of Dan Cooley, a legendary but troubled L.A. trainer, and Chicky Garcia, a talented young man battling to make a name for himself in the corrupt world of the San Antonio boxing circuit, intertwine as both men struggle to cope with the pain of the past, the obstacles of the present, and their individual demons, both inside and outside the ring.

The Professional, by W.C. Heinz (2001)

Doc Carroll battles organized corruption to help his protégé become the middleweight boxing champion.

The Real McCoy, by Darin Strauss (2002)

A novel based on the life of turn-of-the-century charlatan "Kid" McCoy follows the audacious championship boxer, jewel thief, scam artist, and womanizer from city to city in pursuit of his next con, living life to the fullest along the way.

Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner, by F.X. Toole (2000)

Six short stories explore the challenges, glory and humanity of boxing and reveal the complex relationship between athletes, trainers and promoters.

Shadow Boxer, by Eddie Muller (2003)

Stumbling upon evidence that suggests the person convicted of murdering his lover is innocent, Billy Nichols uncovers what may be a larger conspiracy involving the fight clubs.

8/10

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